Spring, summer, autumn or winter, if you have a fireplace in your house, whether itís for practical heating use, or primarily decorative, you might want to consider buying a log basket. These come in hundreds of styles and sizes, so no matter what kind of decorative scheme youíre trying to match, there are probably a plethora of wicker or cast iron baskets that will fit perfectly.

The basic idea behind these baskets is to simplify the process of bringing firewood into the home. A single person can load a lot more wood into a basket than they could comfortably carry in their arms. Once the basket is in the house, it also serves as a convenient storage bin for your firewood. Another consideration is the simple fact that bringing firewood in is a messy job. Along with the wood, youíll be carrying in lots debris, dead leaves, and dirt. A good basket helps keep the mess from getting into your house.

As a matter of tradition, most log baskets were made of wicker. Some are actually basket shaped, while others only have two sides, and serve to wedge the firewood.

Another version of the log basket, which was made usually from cast iron, was designed only for storage, and is too heavy and awkward to use when carrying wood inside. There are also copper tubs and buckets designed for hauling seasoned firewood from a concrete garage or shed and some of these are particularly elegant. The very rich could consider silver or gold baskets :) I'm jesting of course :)

When it comes to practical considerations, the basket has continued to evolve. The canvas wood tote is a modern-day equivalent to the log basket. These come in many different sizes, and they work extremely well. They have the advantage of being lightweight, and waterproof. There are also modern metallic firewood carts with wheels, allowing you to carry large amounts of wood at one time with very little effort.

Whether you want your basket for utilitarian or decorative purposes, or both, you should be able to find something that will work for you. Even if you are buying your log basket just for looks, you may find that itís a very handy thing to have around if you ever have an actual need to use your fireplace or wood stove.

If you'd like listen to an introduction to log baskets rather than read a boring article, then watch the cute cartoon character to the right offer his opinion about them. I have no idea why this adorable fellow is talking about wicker baskets in a Japanese style cartoon house.

I also think he looks a little nervous with that ceiling fan perched precariously above his head on such a slender piece of cable.